Several ESPN analysts put together mock-trade scenarios for Bengals DE Trey Hendricks, one of which included the Colts.

Several ESPN analysts made hypothetical trades for a few players who could still be dealt this offseason. One of which was Cincinnati Bengals‘ star pass rusher Trey Hendricks, and one of the interested teams in this scenario was the Indianapolis Colts.

Along with the Colts, the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, and Washington Commanders all made trade proposals for Hendrickson as well. With former Bengals’ defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo now in Indianapolis, there is an obvious connection with Hendrickson, who has spoken very highly about his time with Anarumo..

For the Colts, Jeremy Fowler would propose that Indianapolis trade away their 2026 second-round pick and their 2027 fifth-round pick in order to land Hendrickson.

“It’s clear the Bengals aren’t getting a first-rounder for Hendrickson — or else a deal would have been done by now — but the elite pass rusher still has immense value,” wrote Fowler. “They would be smart to capitalize on a trade like this if they aren’t going to pay him what he wants. The Colts have around $20 million in cap space to orchestrate a new contract for Hendrickson.”

The cost to acquire Hendrickson is twofold. There is the draft capital that is given up, but also with him in the final year of his current deal, trading for him would require signing him to a new contract as well, and it will be a hefty amount with Hendrickson leading the NFL in sacks this past season, along with being one of the most productive pass rushers in the league for several seasons now.

This isn’t to say that a path to getting a potential deal done doesn’t exist, but the new contract and salary cap ramifications of it down the road are part of the equation when it comes to making these decisions.

Currently, four of the Colts’ nine largest cap hits belong to the defensive line unit, but next offseason, Kwity Paye and Samson Ebukam are set to be free agents.

Ultimately, in this mock-trade scenario that ESPN presented, the Bengals ended up going with the Lions’ offer, which included a 2026 second-round pick and a 2027 fourth-round pick that could become a third-rounder with performance conditions.